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On Mon, Aug 4, 2014 at 1:06 PM, Gary LaPook  wrote:
> The book entitled "Heart of the Sea" was about the sinking of the whaling
> ship Esssex by a a whale in 1820, the survivors resorted to cannibalism, and
> formed the basis for "Moby Dick."

There is an interesting navigational twist to the story.  One month
and 1500 miles into their open boat voyage, the survivors stumbled
across an uninhabited island.  Consulting their copy of Bowditch, they
concluded it was Ducie Island (actually it was neighboring Henderson
Island).  Their copy of Bowditch was not up to date.  It did not
include a valuable discovery made six years earlier during the War of
1812.  Two British frigates searching for another Essex, a war ship
that wreaking havoc among the British Pacific whaling fleet, stumbled
across Pitcairn Island and the English-speaking colony of the
descendants of the Bounty mutineers.  By 1820, the information on the
island and its location had probably made it into British navigation
books but had yet to be picked up by Bowditch.

Had the survivors known, they had just about a day's sail west and
south to reach shelter, food, and water, and the subsequent
cannibalism would have been avoided.

Don Seltzer

   

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